Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency Essay Example for Free

Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency Essay Welcome to Costa Ricas just Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency! We have some expertise in outlandish and vital campaigns like no other. Our central goal is to plan and structure joy visits that would take into account each traveler’s needs, and making them return for additional. Costa Rica Escorts Exotic Travel is a one-stop shop to the experience you have consistently longed for. From movement subtleties, transportation, suppers, housing, and diversion name it, WE HAVE IT! Furthermore, our grown-up partner bundles to all districts of Costa Rica are accessible ALL YEAR ROUND! So what are you hanging tight for? Peruse further and assist us with arranging the most significant escape you will involvement with your life! Administrations Travel we have a group of specialists who might pick you and your companions anyplace in Costa Rica. From that point on, you will be brought to your preferred exceptional spot, where the climate is warm and dry, with boutiques close by. Snap on the different provincial home pages and their particular retreats for additional subtleties. All retreats suggested in this site are top of the line. It would be ideal if you contact the lodgings for additional subtleties. Exhibition †this is the place all the enchantment starts. Our exhibition is loaded up with lovely, young ladies who can light up your forlorn day. All women are warm, neighborly, sweet, and GUARANTEED CLEAN. You can pick among our wide choice of fine escorts by perusing through their photos and depictions. Pick at least two of our loveliest ladies that excite your advantage, and we will illuminate you in the event that they would be made accessible to your specific travel dates. Don't hesitate to round out our â€Å"Online Reservation† to enter a heaven loaded up with energy and experience. Unrealistic? Reconsider. You are only a tick away from your own one of a kind private experience. At Costa Rica Escorts, our need is to give you your wellbeing and SATISFACTION, while keeping your security and protection. So what are you sitting tight for? Travel with us and experience the once in a blue moon fascinating experience!

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Competitive Strategy for Coca-Cola Company- myassignmenthelp

Question: Examine about theCompetitive Strategy for Coca-Cola Company. Answer: Presentation Set up in 1886, the Coca-Cola Company is one of the remarkable and most established brands in the division of carbonated soda pop. Alongside the most protected mystery throughout the entire existence of world business, Coca-cola has developed as an enterprise over very nearly two centuries. Spread over practically all the nations aside from Cuba and North Korea, Coca-cola has accomplished a status, which was unbelievable for a soda pop organization before its beginning. Among PepsiCo, Cott, Faygo, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and Jones Soda; Coca-Cola stays most loved because of its creative promoting methodologies, mystery fixing and in particular assortment of items it offers (De Mooij 2013). Adjustment The way to prevail upon the worldwide market is the capacity to adjust as indicated by different monetary and land limits. Coca-cola sells its items in the significant urban areas of US and Europe in one hand, while then again it has additionally set its foot in the insides of Africa and other underdeveloped countries. The soda pop organization has suggested of system of reusing of the bundling material, dissemination of business to the neighborhood vendors and has even deducted the expense of bundling from its offer cost so as to charm the customers in Africa. The deals of a soda pop organization rely upon four essential elements; accessibility, perceivability, cooling and range in all economies (created or developing economies). The per-capita benefit of Coca-cola items is low in the underdeveloped nations (Company et al., 2017). Coca-cola attempts to make an association between the brands and the purchasers through different promoting systems. The Coca-Cola Company has 900 creatio n units for fluid and packaging plants, which clarifies its solid conveyance framework around the globe. Coca-cola additionally spends around a 20 percent of their all out financial plan in publicizing so as to hold their piece of the overall industry. Conglomeration The Coca-Cola Company has outstanding amongst other dissemination frameworks over the world. The organization had contracts with the natural pecking orders like Mc Donalds and Dominos as a piece of the selling system around the globe. As these two café networks are spread over all the significant urban areas around the globe, Coca-Cola has utilized this methodology to arrive at its purchasers and appeal new among them. The structure of the organization is partitioned into five land zones; North America, Latin America, Middle East and South Asia, Eastern and Central Europe and Africa (it contains 50 nations) (The Coca-cola Company 2017). The plants of Coca-cola are found all around the globe so as to smoothen the flexibly chain. The partnership has likewise supported world occasions like FIFA World cup, Tour de France and Copa America as a worldwide procedure to total and increment the quantity of clients (Bhasin 2017). Exchange After Coke took over Parle in 1994 it exploited over Pepsi, as it gain admittance to 200,000 of Parles retail outlets and 60 bottlers (Brandwatch 2017). The pieces of the overall industry of Coke came to upto around 60 percent after Parles incorporation in contrasted with Pepsis 26% in nations like India. . For less expensive work it has running enterprising units in India and China which additionally addresses and goes about as a gracefully source in the huge market of South Asia. This chops down the expense of these items. End 75% of Cocacolas deals is subject to soft drink in contrasted with half of Pepsi Co. per-capita drink utilization has supposedly diminished throughout the most recent decade (NASDAQ.com. 2017). In this manner, this is disturbing for Cocacola. Cocacola is expanding on its procedure of doing great outside US and make their US recommendations better while Pepsi Co. has an edge over Coca-cola in the US. References De Mooij, M., 2013.Global promoting and publicizing: Understanding social oddities. Sage Publications. Bhasin, H. (2017).Marketing system of Coca cola - Coca cola procedure. [online] Marketing91. Accessible at: https://www.marketing91.com/promoting system of-coca-cola/[Accessed 22 May 2017]. Brandwatch. (2017).Coke versus Pepsi: Market Share Analysis on Social. [online] Available at: https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/the-coke-versus pepsi-social-nearness confrontation/[Accessed 22 May 2017]. NASDAQ.com. (2017).Coke Vs. Pepsi: By The Numbers. [online] Available at: https://www.nasdaq.com/article/coke-versus pepsi-by-the-numbers-cm337909 [Accessed 22 May 2017]. Organization, O., Main, O., Journey, A., Mission, V., Inclusion, D., Rights, H., Overview, W., Diversity, S., Leaders, C., System, T., History, C., Reports, C., Report, S., (U.S.), C., Foundation, T., Coca-Cola, W., Store, C., Main, I., Review, 2., Information, I., Information, I., Events, I., Information, S., Governance, C., Filings, I., Center, P., Main, P., Releases, P., Statements, C., Library, V., Library, I., Contacts, P., Main, C., Us, C., Main, C., Page, F., FORWARD, O., Replenishment, W., Diversity, S., Back, G., Recipes, F., Review, 2., System, T., Company, Overview, Journey, Mission, V., Inclusion, Rights, Workplace, Foundation, Leadership, System, History, Reports, Report, (U.S.), Coca-Cola, Store, System, Bottling, Engagement, Pillars, Workplace, O., Itself, H., Health Safety: We Are Focused on the Safety of Our Employees, O., FIZZ, T., Bottles, W., Ramadan, L., Recipe, C., Alone, R., Tasted, T., Recipe, C. what's more, Nationwide, C. (2017).The Coca-Cola System. [online ] The Coca-Cola Company. Accessible at: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-organization/the-coca-cola-framework [Accessed 22 May 2017]. The Coca Cola Company. (2017).Distribution and worldwide adjustment. [online] Available at: https://cocacolageoassignment.weebly.com/circulation and-worldwide adaptation.html [Accessed 22 May 2017].

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Methamphetamine Myths, Effects, Risks, and How to Get Help

Methamphetamine Myths, Effects, Risks, and How to Get Help Addiction Drug Use Meth Print What to Know About Methamphetamine Use By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on September 02, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on September 13, 2019 kaarsten  / Getty Images More in Addiction Drug Use Meth Cocaine Heroin Marijuana Ecstasy/MDMA Hallucinogens Opioids Prescription Medications Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Whether its injected, snorted, or smoked, methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that affects the brain and central nervous system. Methamphetamine increases levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood altering levels of energy, alertness and other bodily functions. In the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies methamphetamine as a Schedule II substance.?? This means that the drug is illegal when used recreationally and that it has a high potential for misuse, but that there are some restricted medical uses. Also Known As: Some common street names for methamphetamine include meth, crystal, speed, crank, and tweak. Drug Class: Meth is a stimulant drug that increases activity in the central nervous system. Common Side Effects: Meth use can lead to side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, anxiety, and depression.   How to Recognize Methamphetamine Methamphetamine most often takes the form of a white, crystalline powder. While it is odorless, it has a bitter taste. The powder dissolves easily in water. Crystal meth looks like chips of clear ice. Illegal forms of the drug can be snorted, smoked, injected, or orally ingested. What Does Methamphetamine Do? When methamphetamine is injected or smoked, it immediately produces an intensely pleasurable sensation known as a rush or a flash. It does so by releasing high levels of dopamine in the brain. Snorting methamphetamine produces a euphoric sensation, but not a rush. The effects of methamphetamine are similar to those of other stimulants and include feelings of pleasure, agitation, increased sociability, physical alertness, decreased appetite, low inhibitions, and mental confusion.?? Even when taken in small amounts, methamphetamine can cause increased wakefulness and physical activity. A decreased appetite is also common. What It Feels Like to Be High on Meth What the Experts Say Research published in 2014 found that methamphetamine has neurotoxic effects, leading to damage to the serotonin and dopamine receptors in the brain.??   The long-term use of methamphetamine can cause damage to the brain similar to other conditions that injure the brain. This brain damage lingers for months even after use has stopped. The neurological effects of meth use can be permanent, even after a person quits. Researchers have found that methamphetamine use can lead to a higher risk of Parkinsons disease.?? Methamphetamine misuse can also produce extreme anorexia. Even over a short period of use, methamphetamine can cause drastic changes in physical appearance.?? Brain Recovery After Meth Use Off-Label and Approved Uses In the United States, dextromethamphetamine hydrochloride is an FDA-approved treatment for obesity and ADHD in adults and children. While approved, the FDA cautions that there is a high potential for dependence and its therapeutic benefits tend to be quite limited.?? Methamphetamine is occasionally used off-label in the treatment of sleep disorders such as idiopathic hypersomnia and narcolepsy.?? Common Side Effects Physically, meth can increase respiration, heart rate, and  blood pressure. It can cause hyperthermia and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular collapse.?? Other effects of meth use on the central nervous system can produce symptoms like irritability, confusion, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Some users also suffer from prolonged insomnia and tremors.?? Hyperthermia and convulsions can be fatal. Methamphetamine can also cause irreversible damage to the blood vessels in the brain, which can result in a stroke. Why Meth Use Can Lead to Stroke Signs of Use Some of the common signs that someone might be using methamphetamine include:?? Presence of drug paraphernaliaHyperactivityDilated pupilsPoor appetiteSudden weight lossBurns on lips and fingersJerky movements and twitchingSkin sores and scabsChanges in sleep patternsRotten teeth Overdose is another danger associated with methamphetamine use. An overdose results in a rapid onset of physiological deterioration, eventually leading to a heart attack or stroke. Because of the speed of onset, death occurs suddenly and unexpectedly.?? A meth overdose produces profuse sweating, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and dilated pupils. A person who has overdosed on meth will have a high temperature, kidney failure, and cardiovascular collapse.?? The truly scary part is that it will all happen very quickly. If you suspect that someone has overdosed on methamphetamine, contact emergency services immediately. Myths Common Questions As a result of anti-drug campaigns and popular media, many people have a mental picture of what they think a meth user looks like. Often its an image of someone with rotten teeth who is dirty, gaunt, and scabbed. Pictures of people who have misused meth and have undergone shocking physical changes are graphic and can make for a convincing argument against drug use, but they paint a very narrow picture of who uses meth. In reality, approximately 1.6 million people (0.6% of the U.S. population) reported using methamphetamine in the past year, according to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Methamphetamine addiction can  affect anyone.?? Tolerance, Dependence, and Withdrawal Methamphetamine has a high risk of tolerance and dependence.?? Tolerance occurs when a person needs to take increasing amounts of the drug in order to achieve the same high they initially experienced. Tolerance to methamphetamine develops quickly.   How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay in Your System? How long meth stays in your system depends upon a variety of factors including metabolism, body mass, and the frequency of use. It can usually be detected by blood test for one to three days, by urine test for up to a week, and by hair follicle test for up to 90 days.?? How Long Meth Stays in Your System Addiction Methamphetamine is highly addictive and users become physically dependent upon the drug quickly.?? Meth, like amphetamine, produces a rapid pleasurable feeling, which is followed by feelings of depression and irritability when the drug wears off. Users will seek and use more methamphetamine in order to get back to that state of pleasure or to just feel normal again. This results in physical dependence on the drug and is a never-ending cycle for the majority of users until serious treatment is sought. Withdrawal Once you have decided to quit, detoxification is the first step. This process begins once you stop taking methamphetamine and continues until your system is free of it and has adjusted to being off the drug. Initial withdrawal symptoms usually begin within 24 hours of the last dose, peak after about 10 days, and may last 3 weeks or more.?? People often go through the detox and withdrawal process at home, but residential and outpatient treatment options are also available. If you decide to go through the process at home, make sure to inform your doctor and have a friend or loved one check in on you often. The withdrawal from a drug like meth is not easy and is filled with days or weeks of many symptoms. People who stop using methamphetamine experience irritability, depression, fearfulness, and loss of energy.?? Possibly the hardest withdrawal symptom to overcome, however, is the extreme craving for the drug. People withdrawing from methamphetamine can alternate from wanting to sleep all the time to not being able to sleep. Withdrawal symptoms can last for several weeks.?? What to Expect From Meth Withdrawal How to Get Help If you or a loved one is ready to quit using methamphetamine, there are resources available that can help. You can start by talking to your doctor who can then assess your current physical health, talk to you about the next steps, and refer you to treatment centers in your area. Long-term treatments typically utilize behavioral therapy approaches including contingency management (CM) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).?? Contingency management allows people to earn vouchers for desired rewards in exchange for staying drug-free.Cognitive-behavioral therapy works to change harmful thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to drug use. This approach also teaches people new coping skills and strategies that can help them abstain from drug use in the future. There are a few medications that may be useful in the treatment of some patients with methamphetamine use such as naltrexone, modafinil, or bupropion. There is research ongoing around the potential use of anti-methamphetamine monoclonal antibodies.?? Other approaches that may be used include individual counseling, drug testing, support groups, and 12-step programs. You can also call SAMHSAs free national helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or use their online treatment locator to find treatment services available in your area.   Common Questions About Methamphetamine

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Exploring The Ideal And Reality Of Parental Love - 1551 Words

Coming out as a part of the LGBT+ community is seen as a sign of deviance in most communities, and can often be a hardship for both the LGBT+ person, and their family. A child’s relationship with their parents can be a source of great love and support, and the hardships of coming out can either strain or strengthen this relationship. In this paper, I will attempt to describe the ideal and reality of parental love, and explore how this love changes when an LGBT+ child comes out. Then, I will explore the impact of race and ethnicity, political affiliation, and identity of the child on parental love. I will be using Sternberg’s triangular theory of love to both describe parental love, and to analyze the changes to it due to children coming†¦show more content†¦The intensity of these elements can vary over different societies, situations, and stages in a child’s life. For instance, adolescent children tend to be less intimate with their parents, and tend to rebel and form relationships with their peers. Ideal parental love can also be described, according to John Lee, as agape, or altruistic love. According to Lee, this is a type of selfless love, where one is more willing to give love without expecting anything in return. The individual is expected to be patient and forgiving towards the object of their love, which is ideally how a parent should act towards their child. However, current and historical evidence proves that parental love isn’t always altruistic, and parents sometimes actively harm their children. Lawrence Stone states that infanticide must have been a necessity for most of human history, because women, who were gatherers, could not have had the resources to raise multiple children at once (23). Similarly, a study by Rangel finds that parents are more likely to invest in the education of their light-skinned children than their darker-skinned children. This proves that parental love can be conditional. In these cas es, it’s dependant on whether parents have enough resources, and upon which of their children they see as being most fit to use these resources. With this in mind, we shall try to findShow MoreRelatedFreud s Theory Of Human Sexuality1641 Words   |  7 Pageschildhood pleasure is maximized to satisfy the demands of the id impulses, while the parent’s main focus is integrating the demands of reality and the concept of what is right and wrong. Human personality in Freud’s eyes, is divided into three structures that include the id, ego and superego. The id operates to satisfy the body’s impulses, while the ego functions as the reality principle that will satisfy the id impulses and the superego focuses on idealism, dictating our concept of right and wrong. TheRead MoreDevelopmental Analysis4718 Words   |  19 PagesKims case, moral reasoning developed in such a way where she did realize violence to be an inappropriate behavior. This was the reason when sh e rebelled and hated her family later when they cared. At one instance she did realize the problems of her parental relationship to be wrong; she adopted a similar rebellious behavior later in her life. This may be attributed to the fact that her actions were never guided, rewarded or punished by her parent. In this way, she developed several inappropriate waysRead MoreTransactional Anlysis Essay examples4884 Words   |  20 Pages This state is taken from parental figures. Similarly to the child state, it is thought to come from the brain recording â€Å"unquestioned or imposed external events perceived by a person† (2) from the first five years of life, in this case from the parents. There are two types of Parental roles that can be played. The Nurturing Parent is caring and concerned, similar to a mother-figure. The aim is to keep the child safe and happy with reassurance and unconditional love. The Controlling (or Critical)Read MoreAdvantages of K+122054 Words   |  9 Pagescycle. 9. â€Å"The short basic education program affects the human development of the Filipino children.† If we believe that 17-year-old high school graduates are emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually mature, why do we require them to get parental consent before they get married?    DISADVANTAGE of K-12 If the K-12 Education Plan becomes successful, then the Philippine education system can become more competitive among other countries around the world. Though there are still some problemsRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper and The Awakening2156 Words   |  9 PagesYellow Wallpaper and The Awakening, the authors depicted childbirth as a traumatic and even torturous experience, which left women to cope with the physical and mental health effects alone. Effects such as these impeded the mothers’ abilities to be the ideal ‘mother-woman’ to their offspring because in the eyes of patriarchal society, they were only existent in the domestic sphere and their feelings and emotions were null and void thus defining them as too weak to take on the strenuous demands of societyRead MoreHow Does Media Affects a Childs Development3153 Words   |  13 PagesDepartment of Educations Office of Educational Research and Improvement published guidelines in 1994 that said: Parental monitoring is a key factor, since the research studies show that increasing guidance from parents is at least as important as simply reducing media violence. Children may learn negative behavior patterns and values from many other experiences as well as TV programs, and parental guidance is needed to help children sort out these influences and develop the ability to make sound decisionsRead MoreLife of a Teenager7946 Words   |  32 Pagesmost cases they tell their friends how to dress and act when around certain people. Love relationships just make it even harder for a teenager to get a good education. Some start to fail in school because they are hanging out with their boyfriend or girlfriend instead of doing their work. Throughout adolescence, teenagers are positively and negatively impacted by several relationships such as friends, family, and love relationships. Friends have a big influence on teenagers because they can say andRead MoreFamily Decline vs Family Change3666 Words   |  15 Pagesfamilies where the children care about the elder members of the family. Thus, there are varieties of social entities that apparently look like a family and actually perform the duties of the family, as they provide care, look after, have a state of love and affair, and above all are devoted to raising children and socializing them. On the other hand, these different kinds of units make it difficult for all to fit into a solid definition of the family (Goode, 2007). Apart from the debate on the clearRead MoreMarriage Guidance: Summary Notes19959 Words   |  80 PagesMarriage Guidance – Summary MGG201W MGG201W – Marriage Guidance – facilitative couples counselling Theme ONE – Understanding couples Intimacy involves: love, affection and caring, deep attachment to another person. The TRIPOD of couple relationships An intimate relationship consists of three factors that form a tripod on which the relationship rests. 1. Passionate attraction (PA) 2. Mutual expectations (ME) 3. Personal intentions (PI) Passionate attractions (PA) → Individual experiencesRead MoreBiblical Theology Of Family Ministry5153 Words   |  21 Pagesattended the church for the first time. From this time onward, I never had to fear that my father might come home drunk, and create disharmony in the family. Everything started happening just the opposite. He became a God-fearing man. He taught us to love God, pray to God, and follow the instructions from the words of God. My parents raised my siblings and me by providing us a godly home. Daily family devotional time, scripture reading, attending Sunday school, and worship service every week became

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Mystery Of Wreck It Ralph - 1183 Words

Title: Wreck-It Ralph Film Origin Origins of Wreck-It Ralph first started as late as the 1980s, as creating a story with the video game world. In 2011, Wreck-It Ralph was released. Summary of the film Wreck-It Ralph is the story of Ralph, who is a villain in his videogame with Fix-It Felix, Jr. After having the villain reputation for so many years, Ralph is determined to prove he is a good guy. As Ralph enters a different game, causing havoc in the video game world, his goal is to win a medal to prove that he is a good guy. The problem Ralph causes is the game he entered unleashed evil throughout the video game world, where his new challenge for proving his hero abilities in saving the world before it is too late. Film’s Genre Animation, Adventure, Comedy Possible Themes Perception, Redemption, Heroism Title Meaning Wreck-It Ralph has the title meaning of the main character of the film, Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph receives this name from the video game that he is a part of, Fix-It Felix Jr. Character Development Wreck-It Ralph goes through major character development throughout the film. When first introduced, Ralph seems depressed of his status and responsibility of being the bad guy for his game. Because of that, Ralph becomes determined in fixing this feeling by winning a medal in a different game to prove that he can be considered a good guy. Thinking receiving a medal is easier than it is, Ralph joins a game that claims it is easy to receive medals. Very quickly RalphShow MoreRelatedThemes And Themes Of The Film Zootopia 2140 Words   |  9 PagesHoward (‘Tangled’), Rich Moore (‘Wreck it Ralph’) and Jared Bush (imdb citation). The film follows the story of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), an intrepid rabbit that dreams of becoming a police officer in the animal populated metropolis of Zootopia. After thousands of years of prey and predators being at odds with one another, they now live in relative harmony. However, tensions begin to rise when 15 predators go mi ssing. Our protagonist attempts to uncover the mystery with the assistance of a shiftyRead MoreVarian Solution153645 Words   |  615 PagesGrapefruits 40 30 Slope -2 20 10 Slope -1/2 45 0 10 20 30 40 Avocados (d) Does Mary have convex preferences? Yes. 3.10 (2) Ralph Rigid likes to eat lunch at 12 noon. However, he also likes to save money so he can buy other consumption goods by attending the â€Å"early bird specials† and â€Å"late lunchers† promoted by his local diner. Ralph has 15 dollars a day to spend on lunch and other stuï ¬â‚¬. Lunch at noon costs $5. If he delays his lunch until t hours after noon, he is able to buyRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesboard is usually necessary, and it helps if the top executive(s) controls a lot of stock. But the company’s problems will probably continue. In the second scenario, at the extreme, wielding a mean axe with excessive worker and management layoffs can wreck havoc on a company’s morale and longer-term prospects. In general, neither extreme—complacency or upheaval—is good. A sick company usually needs drastic changes, but not necessarily widespread bloodletting that leaves the entire organization cringing

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Study of Brand Loyalty Towards the Organized Retail Stores Free Essays

Insights into Indian English Fiction and Drama Edited by Capt. Dr. Arvind M. We will write a custom essay sample on Study of Brand Loyalty Towards the Organized Retail Stores or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nawale Access -An Academic Consortium Publication ISBN No. 978-81-921254-3-5 Aspects of Campus Novel in Makarand Paranjape’s The Narrator: A Novel Shridevi P. G. The Narrator: A Novel is the well-known critic Makarand Paranjape’s debut novel, published in 1995. It is a mishmash of several stories woven together and presented to us from view-points of several writer-narrators or character- narrators. This novel has attracted considerable interest in the academicians because of the unique narratology of the novel which is different from the rest of the Indian novels written in English. The novel is experimental, and breaks away from the conventional methods of story-telling used in Indian English Fiction. Throughout the narrative, the readers notice that there is little attempt to create an illusion of realism or naturalism. 1 With the use of multivoiced and polyphonic narration, as in the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, the writer tries to relocate himself with the ancient Indian tradition of the narratology. The story of the novel can be divided into three main threads: The first is the story of Rahul Patwardhan, lecturer in English at Asafia University, Hyderabad who is suffering from creative schizophrenia since his childhood and, in the process has a libidinal alter ego, Baddy. The second is the story of Badrinath Dhanda, who comes out of Rahul through emanation. The fi nal thread is that of the movie script, Manpasand. Campus novel is a kind of novel which originated in the West but is emerging as a very prominent sub-genre in Indian English Fiction. As David Lodge, a well-known practitioner of this sub-genre opines, Campus Novel is mainly concerned with the lives of University professors and junior teachers. 3 The present paper attempts to explore the aspects of campus novel in this novel. The novel centers around Rahul Patwardhan who is a lecturer in English at the Asafia University, Hyderabad. His reputation as a lecturer is displayed when he meets his Head of the Department in the novel. The Head of the Department does not doubt him when he lies; asking for leave for four days on the pretext of illness and reading accepts it. This is because, this type of aberration was a recent development in Rahul’s character, and is therefore unknown to the Head of Department. The author presents the characteristics of a good lecturer through Rahul Patwardhan’s character. He is responsible about his duties as a lecturer: †¦. tomorrow was Monday. I had to teach. It was the beginning of a new week. I couldn’t afford to have a very late night today. But meeting him tomorrow would screw up Tuesday’s schedule. [TNAN 67] His anxiety to complete the syllabus is also depicted in the novel. He abstains from listening to the gory details of incest when Badrinath is narrating his story. When Badri goes on describing how the ugly women are better partners then the beautiful ones, Rahul is unable to contribute his view as he is a loyal husband to Neha and thus had slept only with her. It is the curiosity generated in him by his literary sensibility or on humanitarian inclination that he expresses his wish of meeting prostitutes. He thinks, What were these women like? What did they feel? What was the meaning of their lives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I was interested in getting to see them at close quarters. I told myself I didn’t want the sex, but only the experience of meeting a prostitute, of talking to her, getting to know her. [ TNAN 168] Rahul immediately revolts at Badri’s mention of co-habition with college girls. â€Å"For heaven’s sake, Badri, I teach them myself†. â€Å"You never know†, he continued, â€Å"you may even meet one of your students! † â€Å"Please, Badri, stop it†. [TNAN 168] This conversation indicates Rahul’s strong professional ethics. He has also followed certain principles in life which are unfortunately jettisoned after his acquaintance with Badri. He leaves a lot of food on his table, much against his principle of not wasting food He starts lying and finds people believing it easily He consumes beer He cohabits with a prostitute. This shows that he had been morally corrupted to a certain extent. This task of corrupting Rahul had been attempted several times by Baddy but all of them had been found fruitless. But years later Badri proves successful in this. The Novel sketches Rahul’s academic progress and his strict regimen for his Ph. D. , degree quite conspicuously. He would religiously enter the library every morning and work till the evening, often skipping his lunch. Sometimes, I wondered if I would ever get out of the library alive. I mean, I was losing all sense of time. I thought to myself that one day they would find my bones in the musty corridors, resting somewhere among the shelves full of books. [TNAN 75] He describes his guide as a ‘cool guy’ whose motto was â€Å"Do what you like, but show me the final draft within five years†. [TNAN 75] The under note of sarcasm does not go unnoticed in this line which highlights the negligence or failure of some guides to train their research scholars. The procedure of Ph. D. degree is also briefly explained. He says, â€Å"My five years in Hyderabad passed. I submitted my thesis in October 1986; the viva was held next year in April†. [TNAN 75] The whole description of this kind reminds one of Saros Cowasjee’s novel Goodbye to Elsa where similar kind of description of the research methodology is found. Rahul also writes an introductory guide to fiction entitled â€Å"Indian English Fiction – Theory and Practice† the first 500 copies of which are sold out in six months and it then goes into second edition. The relation between colleagues also forms an important aspect of the campus. Here this is displayed through Rahul’s relationship with Raghavan. Their addressing each other with abusive words indicates their intimacy. Both were doing doctoral research. Though Rahul is younger of the two, he had got the job before Raghavan and thus was technically senior to him and which made Raghavan grumble. â€Å"We were, in a sense, rivals, but had never stopped being friends†. [TNAN 148] One interesting point found here is the absence of professional jealousy which is very common among colleagues and which is found in most of the campus novels like M. K. Naik’s Corridors of Knowledge, Ranga Rao’s The Drunk Tantra, Rita Joshi’s The Awakening –A Novella in Rhyme. Students are the inevitable and the most significant aspect of campus novels. Even in this novel, the behavior and misadventures of students are pictured in an amiable way. Rahul presents two sets of students – his classmates when he was studying and his students, after he becomes a lecturer. Rahul joins Tambaram College, which had a history of 150 years but had become a semiwild campus with the kind of behavior of the students. Music and drugs were the two things which dominated the college. â€Å"Bunking classes, acting wild, breaking rules, and doing the unconventional thing were considered hip. There was nothing worse than being a good boy; it was the most despicable way to live†. [ TNAN 55-56] The students think of themselves as the lost generation, India’s equivalent of the hippies. The senior students spent most of their time smoking and listening to music. The mention of a ‘drunken brawl’ among students is made in such a way that it is not very uncommon in colleges. In one such quarrel a student was stabbed. An instance of suicide committed by a student is also pictured. He had consumed downers and jumped off the top floor of the International Students’ Hostel because he had stolen a large sum of money from one of his friends and had blown it all on drugs. With these instances the novelist seems to be indicating the lack of discipline and control among the students. The novelist then describes the drinking bouts of the students and the way they acquired booze. The first of the two ways of getting booze was through someone in the Air Force Station which was quite near the college. When this became much difficult by the Commanding Officer’s instructions, the students were left with the second and the more strenuous way. The students would travel five long hours to Pondicherry and would lounge about the beaches the whole day, drinking and chattering continuously on all sorts of topics. They would then take the night bus back with one or two bottles of rum with them. They would try to trick the cops by using a very cheap bag and keeping it away from themselves. So that even in a surprise check they wouldn’t get caught. And if by chance they get caught redhanded, they would simply give it away to the cop so that he would let them go. The students did not even hesitate to start ‘visiting’- a word used by the author for visiting a prostitute. And they were available right outside the college gates after dark. About affairs, the writer says that only rich guys could afford them by giving expensive gifts to the ‘chicks’ from the women’s college. Love affairs are an indispensable aspect of the campus and so forms one of the aspects of campus novel. But most of the campus novels exhibit a very frank treatment of sex. few examples are- Saros Cowasjee’s Goodbye to Elsa, K. M. Trishanku’s Onion Peel, Rani Dharker’s The Virgin Syndrome, etc. The Narrator also depicts sex quite freely. The novel abounds in extramarital relationships, child abuse, incest, sodomy, mental adultery, voluptuousness and pure love. Rahul’s students are brought in only in on e scene but this one episode reveals a lot about the students of the present generation. When Rahul enters 15 minutes late to the class, giving the reason that he had a late night, some students titter taking his words as an indication of a private encounter. Many students had left for coffee not to return to the class. Their lack of patience and audacity is expressed in the words-â€Å"Oh Sir, they went of for coffee when you didn’t show up until ten-fifteen†. [TNAN 96] and today’s teachers also seem to accept this kind of behavior. The novel can also be considered Crit-Fiction. â€Å"Crit-Fiction† is a kind of novel which is written by a lecturer or a professor. In the recent years many professors have started writing novels. A few examples of such Indian writers are Manju Kapoor, M. K. Naik, Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai, Meena Alexander and others. As Elaine Showalter puts it, the novelist before writing his novel should create or imagine a world which has some kind of logical relation to the real world, within which he can explore the themes that interest him through the narrative. The university or college provides such a world ready-made – a small world which is a kind of microcosm of the larger world. An author’s writing will be realistic if it is inspired by his experience. The author Makarand Paranjape has been able to write about the campus so lucidly because he was a professor and has the first-hand information about the aspects of campus. It is quite interesting that in the novel The Narrator, the protagonist, Rahul Patwardhan is also a lecturer and he too is a writer. Finally one cannot afford to overlook the very unique and exalting theme of the novel which is the difficulty of writing a work of art. Rahul had such an extensive knowledge about the narratology or the art of the narrative, that he had become an inhibiting influence on Baddy, the other half of his split personality, as he shot down Baddy’s attempts of writing narratives. I knew too bloody much about the theory to let even my imagination do the actual writing. TNAN 75] He discusses his difficulty with Dr. Jenny O’Sullivan, a visiting British Council scholar, who had come to visit Hyderabad, researching on a book to be set in India. I am too critical; I cannot get to put pen to paper without scratching out what I’ve written. [TNAN 258] By O’Sullivan’s suggestion, he finds out the solution: Every attempt at creation is f ounded upon a similar act of deconstruction. Writing, thus, is a cruel activity. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Before one writes one had to give birth to a writing self. This is the self which will then invent characters, situations, and themes. [ TNAN 269] The novel The Narrator: A Novel has many aspects of campus novel in it like the kind of life lead by a lecturer, his loyalty and involvement in his academic pursuits, his struggle to produce substantial literary works, his relations with his colleagues and students; the behavior of the students, their misadventures; the lavish lifestyles of students who are not disciplined either by the parents or the authorities in the college, their love affairs etc. re delineated in a very conducive way. The protagonist’s views both as a student and then as a lecturer are involved in the novel. Makarand Paranjape has been able to throw sufficient light on all these aspects of campus life as he has been a professor and very well-acquainted with the campus. So with the points discussed so far, The Narrator: A Novel can be considered a campus novel. Works Cited 1. Rahul Chaturvedi, â€Å"Self as Narrative in The Narrator: A Novel: A Narratological Perspective†, The Criterion: An International Journal in English, ISSN 0976-8165 Vol. II. -Issue 1, 2011. 2. http://www. makarand. com/reviews/ReviewsofTheNarrator. html. 3. http://is. muni. cz/th/66512/ff_b/Bakalarska_prace_24. 4. 2006. doc 4. Makarand Paranjape, The Narrator: A Novel, (New Delhi: Rupa Co. 1995), Hereafter cited as TNAN with page nos. in parentheses. 5. Showalter, Elaine- Faculty Towers: The Academic Novel and its Discontents; Oxford University Press, 2005. How to cite Study of Brand Loyalty Towards the Organized Retail Stores, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Critical Review Assignment - Solution is Just a Click Away

In the article, Kohn (2006) has argued that homework is not only needless but also counterproductive for children. The author adopts a contextual review method to provide evidence that previous studies have not been able to find a correlation between quantity of homework and student achievement. The author believes that more homework takes away the fun of leaing which is not desirable. The author is conceed with the increased burden of assignments on children despite the lack of evidence of its utility. Kohn cites the lack of understanding about the leaing process as the main reason for this anomaly. The author has taken an extreme stance by recommending removal of homework to increase the childrens desire to leaand discover the subject. The author suggests that the process of leaing in the classroom needs to be improved to improve students scores. The author has used a combination of ethos (appealing to logic) and pathos (appealing to emotions) to present his case on the truth about homework. While the author has raised a valid issue on the increased quantity of homework, the extreme stance taken by author has several limitations which must be considered in the debate. Kohns (2006) assertion that the studies have failed to find a correlation between homework and test scores needs closer attention. There have been numerous studies in the past (most notably Leone and Richards, 1989) who have found that increased homework time is associated with better academic achievement. Moreover, research contradicts Kohns nonchalant dismissal of the belief that homework yields nonacademic benefits. Numerous studies have shown that homework helps the students in leaing time-management and organizations skills (cited in Cooper, Robinson, Patall, 2006). However, the central argument about doing away with mindless assignments is pertinent for both teachers and parents. The improvement of leaing process depends upon instructional time which can be achieved only in classroom. However, this does not necessitate completely doing away with assignments. Kohn himself states that practice is needed to perfect any art. While I agree with Kohns suggestion that the leaing process needs to be improved, I do not concur with Kohns views that assignments must be done away with completely. Well designed assignments can make leaing a fun activity for students. Such assignments also allow them to unleash their creativity while leaing the nuances of the subject. However, to achieve this, the quality of instructional time must improve. This will make sure that assignments do not become a way of mindless practice or rote leaing. In summary, the article has some useful insights for both parents and teachers. Kohn has raised a valid conce about the increased quantity of assignments for students. However, Kohns suggestion that assignments be done away with completely is too extreme. Kohn has failed to explore the option of quality assignments which can encourage students to leaand discover the subjects. Kohns suggestion smacks of an escapist tendency which is devoid of any practical application.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Introduction to Business Law

Introduction Generally, statutes provide a mechanism for the legislature to ensure that citizens live and act within set legal boundaries. It thus follows that any interpretation of statutes has constitutional repercussions. Ostensibly, legal systems in the world can be classified into two general categories.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction to Business Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On one hand is the common law that has its origins in England while on the other hand is civil law which has its beginnings in Ancient Rome (Ahlstrom Bruton 2009). Civil law makes use of statutes as the main building blocks and relies heavily on legal scholars to interpret legislations by Parliament. Confusion may, however, result in the event that courts are not able to determine with absolute certainty what the intention of the legislators (Corcoran Bottomley 2005). In a system where powers are separated, the st atutory interpreter is usually different from those charged with the responsibility of enacting the statutes. Often, the interpreter is the judge while those enacting are legislators. Considering that differences in perspectives are very common, dynamic interpretation may be experienced time and again. Ostensibly, statutory interpretation is a vital judicial tool that has been used by judges for many years to safeguard basic rights in the common law. Seemingly, the different stages involved in the creation of a statute often ensure that errors are addressed in good time (Kafaltiya 2008, p. 108). Customarily, judges use different strategies when interpreting statutes. No guidelines exist and there is no commonly accepted standard of interpretation. This notwithstanding, there are basic principles that must be adhered to by judges as they interpret legislations. According to Sadurski (2002, p. 67), courts sometimes make efforts to interpret legislations in a way that is consistent wit h human rights. In some situations, legislatures endorse customs that may be used by courts during interpretation. Powers Available to Courts in Connection with Statutory Interpretation In England and Wales, the interpretation of statutes is a privilege accorded to courts and tribunals. A team of highly skilled people is charged with the responsibility of drafting statutes on behalf of the legislature before they can be passed to the courts for interpretation. However, there are challenges that result from the fact that those who draft the statutes may not be able to address every possible situation that may be encountered at a later time (Adams 2012, p. 23). It is also possible that the process may be so rushed to an extent of leaving out important details in a given legislation. As stated earlier, the principles that govern statutory interpretation are not well organized and the whole process of interpretation is largely controlled by the common law. Allegedly, this creates room f or any new developments to be undertaken by courts in order to deal with new problems as they arise. As a result, it is assumed that statutes provide a clear indication of what judges actually mean (Adams 2012, p. 57). Judges provide interpretations based on what is presented to them and as such meet the expectations of the legislators.Advertising Looking for essay on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Evidently, judges are not allowed to rewrite any statutes and are required exercise their powers in a modest manner. There are, however, some cases where a judge may not be able to tell what the intentions of the legislators are. The language used by Parliament may, for example, lead to a situation where judges give an interpretation that is totally different from what was originally meant. To understand the intentions of Parliament and thus avoid the language confusion, it is advisable for the court to rea d the entire statute and give the correct meaning to every word in it. The limited class rule is sometimes used to provide a general interpretation of a word. As the courts are simply required to interpret and not re-write legislations, it is impossible for the judges to fill up any gaps left by the legislative body. Courts may, however, overcome such challenges by carefully interpreting legislations. According to Sarat (2008, p. 251), it is absolutely impossible to come up with a statute that covers all possible issues that may be encountered in relation to it. As a result, courts may be faced with serious challenges when conditions change. Since courts can not fill legislation gaps, they are limited to determining whether a statute is applicable in a case where circumstances are deemed to have changed. The courts may also be allowed to take into consideration the deliberations of the legislators prior to passing a Bill. Reference to such deliberations during statutory interpretati ons was, however, not allowed in England and Wales until 1993. Regrettably, there are limitations to this strategy as it may not be applicable in situations where it can be determined that conditions have changed drastically. According to Amar (2012, p. 341), the limitation imposed on courts regarding the application of statutes in changed circumstances is largely responsible for the delays experienced in dealing with such cases. It is thus imperative to establish mechanisms of speeding up the process. Engagement of Judicial Precedent with Statutory Interpretation A precedent may be defined as a past event. Legally, it serves as an important guide for judges. Judicial precedent is a vital part of the common law system according to which a judge is required to make a ruling on a case guided by an earlier decision in a similar case. Under the common law system, legal precedent plays a big role and judges have the freedom to interpret a law and provide a basis on which future cases may be heard and decided (Ahlstrom Bruton 2009). In comparison to other countries, the legal system in the United Kingdom follows the requirements of judicial precedent very strictly. Practically, lower courts are required to abide by a past ruling of a superior court in interpreting statutes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction to Business Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The appellate court on the other hand is expected to abide by its past rulings in similar cases. Arguably, the doctrine of judicial precedent provides for either binding or persuasive precedent. While binding precedent is mandatory and must be adhered to by lower level courts, persuasive precedent serves as an important guide for judges when deciding on similar cases. Apparently, questions about judicial precedent tend to concentrate more on the way the doctrine works or operates. To a large extent, the fact that cases may be consid ered retrospectively implies that judges have the flexibility to use judicial precedent to interpret statutes (Mitchell Dadhania 2003). In the event that a judge comes across a case where a relevant previous ruling made by the court exists, the judge has four possibilities. He or she may follow the earlier judgment if it is clear that the facts in the current and previous case are similar, make a distinction if it is established that the facts are completely different, overrule the earlier decision in case there is a disagreement with the decision arrived at by a lower court, or reverse the previous ruling by a lower court if an appeal is made and the higher court can determine that the lower court failed to interpret the law correctly. There are several advantages that may be associated with the application of judicial precedent in statutory interpretation (Schyff 2010, p. 51). First, there is consistency in the application of the law and this provides a sense of equality and just ice. Secondly, there is certainty considering that many cases exist that have been dealt with before and this enables lawyers to advice their clients with confidence. Finally, the options made available to judges create room for fair application and further development of the law. There are, however, some difficulties associated with the use of judicial precedent in statutory interpretation. First, the use of judicial precedent is quite rigid and limits judicial discretion. There is also a danger of slowing down the judicial process as judges are expected to spend quite some time perusing previous cases. It may also lead to the creation of illogical distinctions by judges who may not be willing to follow an existing precedent. Finally, the court has no choice but to rely upon a suitable case where changes to the law have to be made. Conclusion As has been explained in this paper, statutory interpretation is a vital tool for preserving fundamental rights that affect our day to day li ves. While judges have the leeway to interpret legislations as they see fit, they can only do so within certain limits. In the event that powers are separated, there is a danger that the legislations may be poorly interpreted. Whilst many options exist for interpreting statutes, the most commonly used is judicial precedent. As a source of law, judicial precedent allows judges to make reference to past judgments and apply the reasoning used if circumstances of the cases involved are similar.Advertising Looking for essay on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Adams, A 2012, Law for Business Students, Pearson Publishing, Edinburgh Way, Harlow. Ahlstrom, D Bruton, G 2009, International Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World, Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. Amar, AR 2012, America’s Unwritten Constitution: The Precedents and Principles We Live by, Basic Books, New York. Corcoran, S Bottomley, S 2005, Interpreting Statutes, Federation Press, Sydney, Australia. Kafaltiya, AB 2008, Interpretation of Statutes, Universal Law Publishing, New Delhi. Mitchell, AR Dadhania, M 2003, As Level Law, Psychology Press, Hove, United Kingdom. Sadurski, W 2002, Constitutional Justice, East and West: Democratic Legitimacy and Constitutional Courts in Post-Communist Europe in a Comparative Perspective, Kluwer Law International, The Hague, Netherlands. Sarat, A 2008, Constitutional Politics in a Conservative Era, Emerald Group Publishing, West Yorkshire, UK. Schyff, G 2010, Judicial Review of Legislation: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and South Africa, Springer, New York. This essay on Introduction to Business Law was written and submitted by user Sonny E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Community Based Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Development Essays

Community Based Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Development Essays Community Based Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Development Essay Community Based Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Development Essay The promotion of community-based tourism has recently been discussed as a valuable method in achieving sustainable tourism development. Its benefits are easily recognized as facilitating improvements in local communities while reducing the negative social, economic, and environmental consequences of tourism development. However, community-based tourism alone cannot necessarily lead to sustainability in a given area; only with the cooperation of the local stakeholders and with the presence of organizational and/or behavioural conditions in the community. Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:735) This essay will examine the different tools used for monitoring and evaluating sustainability as it pertains to community-based tourism, and its effectiveness and limitations. A focus will be placed on the guiding principles, which include community control and empowerment, natural and cultural sustainability, and economic sustainability. (TIES, 2005) Before examining the methods used in evaluating sustainability, a definition of sustainability must be offered. According to the Berlin Declaration on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Tourism, Tourism should be developed in a way so that it bene? ts the local communities, strengthens the local economy, employs local workforce and wherever ecologically sustainable, uses local materials, local agricultural products and traditional skills. Community based tourism, then refers to local tourism developed in local communities in innovative ways by various individuals and groups, small business owners, entrepreneurs, local associations and governments. (Hatton, 1999) By incorporating community-based tourism into the evaluation of social, economic, and environmental sustainable tourism development, ideally a sustainable community centred on tourism can exist. The recent concept that communities should have ultimate power in deciding their fate and the fate of their community as it relates to tourism development, is growing in interest. As a result, tourism researchers consider community-based approaches to be a requirement for successful and sustainable tourism development. (Taylor 1995; Din 1996; So? eld 2003) By giving control over resources to the locals, this facilitates residents control of their own lives since they are more attached to the shared problems of the community and attempt to work together to mend them. Various aspects of community-based tourism include accessibility, community participation, and the wellbeing of the host community. These issues are all objectives of community based tourism in establishing sustainable tourism development and fall under the pillar of social justice; one of the three pillars of sustainability which include environmental integrity, social justice, and economic development. (Adams,2006) mendelbio. com/sustainability/index. php (picture) These aspects are measured through various tools, including but not limited to Participatory Rural Appraisal, social exchange theory, sampling, interviewing, and through surveys. A case study conducted in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, examined the local social interactional elements needed for the community to achieve sustainable tourism practices. (Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:735) By using key informant interviews and participant observation, they were able to measure community involvement and empowerment and show that these elements are possible with the establishment of community agency, the construction of local relationships that increase the adaptive capacity of people within a common locality. Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:735) The interviews conducted included open-ended questions about the communitys past and present characterization, the residents view of the community, community satisfaction, general concerns, future expectations, and tourism development. The interviews were taken by 34 individuals in the community who were knowledgeable and actively involved in the community, with no regard to social or economic statu s of interviewees. (Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:735) As well, participant observation was used, which enhances the understanding of the group being observed. (Denzin, 1989:157) The participant observation methods used, included conversations with local residents and extra-local persons knowledgeable of the community; reviewing local brochures, bulletin boards and newspapers; examination of secondary data from the National Census and Statistics Institute, university studies and Costa Ricas State of the Nation publication; attending local community meetings; and observation of daily activities. (Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:735) Through these measurements, it was concluded that sustainable tourism development could be achieved if community agency was strong and if locals maintained ownership and control of the community resources. This provides an example of successful community based tourism used in evaluating socially sustainable tourism development. However, not all attempts at community based tourism as it refers to local empowerment and control have been successful, since many limitations are present. Limitations examined in the Langkawi Islands of Malaysia, include government control in decision making processes and weaknesses of the existing participatory approach. In the Langkawi Islands in Malaysia, excessive control by the government limited the locals involvement in the decision making process. (Marzuki, 2008:327) Locals were surprisingly aware of the situation, and knew that they didnt have the opportunity to raise questions or concerns at the draft plan exhibition for new developments, and if an enquiry was made, it was likely not to be acted upon. One respondent was quoted as saying, Usually, the decision was made at the top level of administration without in-depth involvement from the local level. Even when they (government officials) went to the local level, the approach used was not effective because we were not able to be actively involved. (Marzuki, 2008:327) Another major concern in Langkawi was the weakness of the existing participatory approach. It was found that locals were only involved in the early stages of participation, and left out of the major decision making processes. Surveys and interviews that were carried out, were merely to inform the residents of changes in the community, and less about their reactions or opinions. An officer from the government department did not deny these statements, saying One of the failures was when we did the Structure Plan or Local Plan, the consultant carried out the household survey among the community and they claimed that that was public participation. That was right, but it was only a one-way communication approach. I mean the residents just filled the questionnaire without having a discussion with the consultant to draft the plan together. (Marzuki, 2008: 327) Both of these limitations demonstrate that methods were established that allowed for local participation, yet were not followed through ultimately to the final decision making process. This is seen frequently in sustainable tourism, where the initiatives and goals are established for sustainable practices to exist, but either fail to be acted upon entirely or are not completely followed through. As seen, community participation can lead to social empowerment and can work successfully in smaller communities where community agency is present, but can falter in places where government control is embedded in the culture and where existing participatory approaches are unsustainable. There are several objectives of community based tourism, as it pertains to economic sustainability of the host community including increased local economic diversity through different entrepreneurial efforts as well as increased self-reliance of the host community. These can be developed together with locals having direct access to natural resources, which would provide sustenance for the community, while at the same time, establishing self-reliance. (Shuman, 1998) This is particularly important, as global economic forces and the internationalization of markets have proven to have devastating consequences on community life. In many areas the industrial base has been wiped out and little has replaced it except a growing service sector that, at best, provides low-wage, unstable employment. (Shragge, 1997:7) With the formation of communitys of this include the Community Development Association: ADIFORT and the Association of Micro Entrepreneurs: AMITURFOR in Costa Rica. (Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:743) A balance must be made, however, with the possibilities of economic growth and the conservation of the natural environment and resources. Several objectives pertaining to the environmental sustainability of the host community include local decision making in regard to the sustainable use of resources, protection of biological diversity, stewardship of natural resources, and management of waste products. A case study on The La Ruta Moskitia Ecotourism Alliance (LARUMO Alliance) in Honduras consists of six indigenous communities which have developed local services and products within the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, that are 100% community owned and operated bringing all the financial benefits directly to the local community. LARUMO Alliance, 2011) Employment is separated into ecotourism enterprise groups that include well-trained operations and financial managers, guides, boat drivers, cooks, and housekeepers who earn revenue through employment and by sharing end of year profits amongst the group. (LARUMO Alliance, 2011) This is linked to environmental sustainability, as the locals earn income from local employment within tourism which in turn takes jobs away from hunting, over fishing, and extractive land practices such as slash and burn agriculture and cattle grazing. (LARUMO Alliance, 2011) This is an important aspect of community based tourism, especially for rural, resource-dependent communities, who rely heavily on the environment. Other ways LARUMO Alliance is a successful example of economic and environmental sustainable tourism development, is through supporting local conservation projects, using all natural building materials, keeping tour groups to 12 people or less, and in working to establish special use zones in the Reserve which protect the wildlife habitat. There are various ways in which economic sustainability is measured and evaluated as it pertains to community based tourism, including mapping, visualisation, and participatory GIS (geographical information systems). In the case study of Marahau, New Zealand to aid the community in future development and economic opportunities, an aerial photograph was chosen as a base map, which provided the greatest visual detail of the community area. (Hasse, Milne, 2005) Anderson et. l (2004) provided the photographs, coloured stickers, and a simple questionnaire to garner a response about the changes occurring in the community and their personal goals for future development. The research demonstrated, that the methodology was attractive to all ages, didnt require respondents to have facility in writing or speaking, was challenging but enjoyable and was an educative experience for participants and researchers alike. (Anderson et al. 1994:41) Another form of measurement, suggested by Hasse and Milne (2005) is the combination of participatory approaches with GIS, what is termed as PAGIS. Hasse and Milne (2005) believe, that There is the potential to develop more applicable participatory approaches to collecting, analysing and representing information from multiple stakeholders and combining those with the process bene? ts GIS can offer. These methods can enable local people to share, enhance and analyse their knowledge of life and conditions and to plan, act, monitor, and evaluate. (Hasse, Milne, 2005:278) By measuring economic sustainable tourism development, greater insight can be gained regarding the feelings and ideas of the local community about their future tourism development goals and in helping them achieve these goals. Measurements involved in environmental sustainable tourism development include interviews, environmental management concepts, and the establishment of conservation projects and organisations. Interviews revealed that respondents had changed their view on the environment after the introduction of tourism to the local community. According to KIs, La Fortunans appreciated nature more after interacting with tourists who came to their area for its natural environmental beauty, making locals realise what a beautiful place they come from. ( Matarrita-Cascantea, Brennan, and Luloff, 2010:747) Conservation projects followed, with the establishment of ADIFORT came water treatment plants, recycling programs in schools, and reforestation efforts. La Ruta Moskitia now provides a baseline for other communities to copy and develop the same projects and sustainable benefits that they have in Honduras. Limitations, however, are present, with the power struggles that often occur with the presence of multiple stakeholders that all possess differing opinions about community based tourism. Several limitations presented when dealing with the Sea Canoe case study involve the initial establishment of companies in Phuket and Ao Phangna by foreign expats, or farangs. In the case of Sea Canoe, for example, the high status of John Gray, a farang, have allowed the company to address local mafia intimidation, the corruption of local tourism and national park officials, and the illegal or unethical practices of several of Sea Canoes competitors (Shepherd, 2002). This is a benefit and a limitation, as it has been argued that having foreign investment and control in the community is not in the best interest of the locals if true community based tourism is to exist. As well, in interviews conducted with the owners of other sea kayaking companies, Kontogeorgopoulos discovered that the success enjoyed by Sea Canoe, a farang company, has also provoked resentment among the Thai owners and employees of Sea Canoes competitors. (Kontogeorgopoulos, 1995:14) However, with the poor backgrounds of the locals combined with their lack of power against the government and competing companies, especially minority groups such as the Malay Muslims, farang involvement has been a catalyst for positive economic sustainable development in the area; primarily with the Sea Canoe case study. This is due to the fact that the Muslim minority possess low status within mainstream Siamese society, and are therefore less willing or able to address certain problems as directly or as forcefully as the farangs have done. (Kontogeorgopoulos, 1995). This demonstrates that blurred lines exist involving what is the best method for achieving community based sustainable tourism development. Community based tourism in environmental terms has its limitations as well, with companies such as Sea Canoe who end up threatening the area and community which they are trying to protect. Sea Canoes exploitation of Ao Phangngas resources encouraged the rapid increase in the number of operators bringing tourists into the same caves and lagoons in Hong and Phanak. (Kontogeorgopoulos, 1995) By 1999, and continuing until this day, the total number of sea kayaking companies have climbed to 20, spinning off of the sole popularity and success of Sea Canoe. With competitors focusing less on safety issues and more on income from tourists, competitors carry up to 30 people per escort boat, and purchase inexpensive, spotty equipment. Kontogeorgopoulos, 1995) For example, Overcrowding and sloppy attention to safety led to tragedy in early-1997, when a guide from one of Sea Canoes early competitors was dragged under a boat and killed by its propeller. (Mecir, 2000) This is just one example of limitations that exist, when competition and greed take over medium to large communities and community agency seizes to exist. As demonstrated, the success, in terms of sustainability, for any community-based tourism initiative lies in cooperating with the local communities and empowering them to continue to grow and develop tourism, while being aware of the limitations and pitfalls that tourism can bring. With various case studies showing ample examples of successful and effective community-based tourism efforts, as well as negative implications and limitations, it is shown that sustainability can be effectively accomplished in community-based tourism only if all aspects of community based tourism development can come together. In the future, with a growing popularity in sustainability, hopefully small scale community-based tourism initiatives will be key in effectively developing sustainable tourist destinations. And in general, the most useful way of thinking about sustainability is not necessarily to think of it as an end-point, but rather as a guiding philosophy which incorporates certain principles concerning our interaction with the environment. (Holden, 2008 :162)

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Reasearch proprosal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reasearch proprosal - Coursework Example The experimenter will read journals and check databases for previous research in this area. Case studies specific to Montserratian immigrants will be looked at. There will be looking in depth, at the areas these immigrants dominated and changes that has occurred overtime in these regions. Statistical evidence will be explored to determine the number of Montserratians residing in England in comparison to 1995 as a result of the volcanic eruption. A survey and semi-formal interviews will also be carried out with immigrants in order to test this hypothesis. On completion there should be an understanding if there is a profound change in the areas immigrants occupied. These changes could be political, social or economical. Census and crime statistics data will provide an adequate rationale to support the hypothesis. Considerable research has been conducted referencing environmental disasters and migration of people from danger zones to safer locations internationally. In 1995, the island of Montserrat experienced a devastating volcanic eruption. As T. H. Druitt and B. P. Kokelaar write, â€Å"About half of this emerald Isle was rendered barren and uninhabitable, almost two-thirds of the original population had to leave, and 19 lives were lost, all as a direct result of the volcanic activity.† (Druitt & Kokelaar, 2002) This research project seeks to further investigate the effect of this natural disaster on migration of people from the island of Montserrat in the period after the volcanic eruption. The methodology for this research will include quantitative approaches based in statistics from the UK Migration database as well as qualitative research drawn from interviews with Montserrat islanders. This case study should be of value for reference within the larger body of research related to migration patterns following natural disasters. Research on the migration patterns that follow natural disasters is important for social planning,

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

COP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

COP - Essay Example More importantly, COPS serves as the vehicle for the shift of law enforcement from its traditional form to a more proactive form known as community policing, which focuses more on crime prevention by putting police officers on beats where they can mingle and interact more with the members of the communities (Myers, 19). The community partnership component of community policing is an acknowledgment that law enforcers alone cannot prevent crimes, but need the involvement of the community and other stakeholders. Thus, community partnership aims at the â€Å"collaborative partnerships† between the law enforcement agents and members of the community such as the community members and groups, other government agencies, providers of services and non-profit organizations, private businesses and the media. Other government agencies may refer to federal and state legislatures and other law-making bodies, prosecutors, probation and parole boards and officers, public works departments, law enforcement agencies of neighboring communities, health and human services, child support services, ordinance enforcement schools. Community members and groups, on the other hand, refer to the residents within the law enforcer’s area as well as visitors or tourists to that area and commuters, which law enforcers can meet during town hall meetings, neighborhood association meetings and beat assignments. Nonprofit/service providers are those who provide services to the residents and other persons in the area for free, while businesses are those engaged in profit-earning enterprises in the area such as the members of the local chamber of commerce (COPS 2009, pp. 5-6). Partnerships appreciate that the police cannot be able to face crime without the involvement of the public, and it encourages relationships among the different stakeholders to fight crime. Collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies, organizations and individuals will increase the levels of trust

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Observation Of Professional Social Work Practice

Observation Of Professional Social Work Practice Multidisciplinary working is work undertaken jointly by workers and professionals from different disciplines or occupations Pearson Thomas 2010:342 and it has evolved at varying speeds over the past 30 years or so in response to imperatives of central government. Mental health was among the first professions to adopt teams of workers from different professions. The community mental health team is widely regarded as the model for multi-disciplinary working. (Community Care, 2010). Relating this to social work the distinctive quality is demonstrating a holistic approach, by working with a range of situations, people and having an attribute for developing multi-disciplinary and partnerships,(Higham,2006:) c The crisis centre is run by a Local Council and NHS Trust based in a local community. Which corresponds with the 1975 White Paper Better Services for Mentally Ill, professions working together to provide a community based service. (Scie, 2010) The crisis centre provides beds for four adults suffering a mental health, social crisis, who have been referred to them by the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, the service users for instance can be referred from in their home or accident and emergency. Next they complete an assessment inline with local authority guidelines and procedures, then produce a care plan and risk assessment. If they decide the service user is in crisis and cant return home, then they contact the crisis centre for a place with the goal of leaving the centre after the crisis, normally within two weeks. Once the service user is placed, there are numerous methods of contacts from the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team and social workers through emails, phone call s and visits. During this observation multidisciplinary working was witnessed between the crisis centre staff and the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team about a service user already in the centre through a phone call. The crisis resolution home treatment team seemed to be following the National Occupational Standards key roles section three, by supporting the individual, representing their needs, views and circumstances by acting as an advocate (Higham 2006: 98) as they were informing the crisis centre of what was happening. The crisis centre staff were asking questions in a way that was treating the service user as an individual by listening to their individual case, respecting and maintaining dignity by only asking questions relevant to the crisis centres needs and criteria. They also spoke clearly and discussed the dynamics of other service users (respecting confidentiality) already in the centre declaring any conflict or positive interactions that had arisen since their last visit (GSCC,201 0).These skills are fundamental to social work practice as they are valuing the individual and having a holistic approach. Furthermore, in the 1990s new labour recognised that problems cannot be addresses by people and organisations working in isolation. So the Department of Health 1998 introduced the white paper Modernising Social Services, which had multi-disciplinary working as a key objective. (Wilson, et, al, 2008:388). In 2000 No secrets actively promoted that multidisciplinary teams, empower and promote well-being of vulnerable adults, through the services they provide and the need to act in a way, which supports the rights of the individual to lead to independence. (Department of Health 2000) This was observed, by the service user, crisis centre and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team via staff communicating frequently throughout the day and providing an environment where service users can come and go freely, yet still have support, during their crisis, they were also encouraged to cook and clean for themselves .This was seen during the observation also in Tony Ryans (2010) evaluation of crisis centre and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, asked service users what they valued best about their stay, their responses I was on the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of depression and self esteem. Now I can cook and iron. It has restored my get up and go. and It is given me a sense of life back and helped me to find myself. I couldnt have gone on any longer. Staff have taught me to cope better and manage my panic attacks. This demonstrates partnership working with the service user and multidisciplinary working. The White Paper Our health, our care, our say also emphasises the importance of people having more control over their lives and access to responsive, preventative services by working together in multidisciplinary teams. (Department of Health 2006). The crisis centre fulfils this. Throughout the day through discussions and observation it appeared that the crisis centre staff and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team encouraged emancipatory practice by involving the service user in their support which shows good practice also staff were not routinized as each day was different, they discussed how each individual was unique with a unique situation. If social workers become oppressed by working in routines this does not always benefit the service user, it is not good practice and is not fundamental to social work values. An example of this was observed when a member of the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team came to the crisis centre and completed a visit with a service user. During her visit to the crisis centre she was constantly contacted from her office through phone calls, one of which was a new service user needing to be assessed urgently, she had already one visit booked in after the crisis centre, but had to re -evaluate her cases as the new referral wa s seen to be more of a priority. She did this by speaking to her manager on the phone and re -arranging for another colleague to see her service user and then asked the office to let the service user know about this change. The above paragraph demonstrates multidisciplinary working and partnership working with the service users are fundamental and collaboration is needed for social work and the interpretation from the staff involved demonstrates good practice. To show the importance of partnership working with service users in the crisis centre Tony Ryan (2010) completed a service evaluation of the crisis centre and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, they asked service users how they felt about staff. Service users responses Any questions or anything you are upset over, you can go and ask the staff and Staff are very supportive and help sort problems out. As social work is about working with people to help them to sort their problems out. Also each individual brings unique skills and experience into the working professional relationship. (Thompson. N. Thompson, S. 2008:24) So far this essay has demonstrated positive multidisciplinary working through observation at the crisis centre. However, in reality multidisciplinary working can be negative and can be totally dysfunctional. As when a group of diverse people with varied skills come together into a team, things dont always go smoothly. (Community Care, 2010) Cree, 2003:163 believes that multidisciplinary working can be positive but also frustrating, isolating and difficult. (Dalrymple Burke 2006:139) Wilson et al (2008) also agrees multi disciplinary working does not always work effectively and such failures have been documented in such finding of Victoria Climbie enquiry and baby Peter, lastly Thompson (2005) believes that multidisciplinary can do more harm than good and can make situations worse. During the course of the day it was bought to attention through a staff handover that one of the service users in the crisis centre had at first experienced a positive interaction of multidisciplinary practice, but sadly it turned into a negative experience. Conquesenlty, this seemed due to the breakdown of communication between multidisciplinary teams such as his social worker, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, crisis centre staff and medical staff. According to Thompson (2009) without effective communication the notion of multidisciplinary becomes unobtainable. Staff at the crisis centre believed it was due to lack of budgets and lack of communication. During this handover reflective practice was witnessed, as, as a team they spoke about what, why and how things had gone wrong for the service user and how they could approach the situation to get the best outcome for the service user. The staff at the crisis centre spoke about how they valued supervision meetings as it gave them the chance to voice any concerns they had and also gave the manger chance to deal with any systematic practice that was leading the staff to become unfocused. (Thompson. N. Thompson, S. 2008). As supervision meetings demonstrate good practice and in social work codes of practice, developing ones self through development opportunities to strengthen skills and knowledge. This essay has demonstrated through observation that it is important to work with other professionals as one person cannot solve another persons problems and dilemmas alone (Thompson. N. Thompson, S. 2008:19) and that multidisciplinary working is a fact of live for social workers and many other professionals also, this essay showed a balance outlook on multidisciplinary working as it has positive and negative points.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Epic Conventions Essay

1. The story beings in medias res. In Medias Res is Latin for â€Å"it begins in the middle of things† and then has flashbacks to explain action leading up to that point. In Paradise Lost, for example, the story begins after Satan and his fellow rebellious angels have been cast from heaven, by God, into Hell. The war in heaven has taken place and Satan is making plans for the ruination of the coming realm of men, Earth, particularly Eden and God’s new creatures, Adam and Eve. 2. The story begins with an invocation (prayer) to a god or gods. The poet, Milton, attempts to recapture the Homeric tradition of reciting an epic poem to an audience, say at a feast. To that end he begins by calling for a blessing – for the Christian god whom he refers to in pagan terms as the â€Å"Heav’nly Muse,† Milton invokes the pagan ideology that the called upon god or muse came into the man therefore it was not the poet who recited, but the god in the poet’s body. Poet’s, then, were considered very sacred, for they could call down a god and have the god in them, at least temporarily. We continue to have the remnants of this belief, of course. We often think of poets or of any true artist as being different or touched by a special hand. In the case of the beginning of Paradise Lost, the poet says something like â€Å"Sing Heav’nly Muse†¦ say first what cause moved our grand parents in that happy state †¦ to fall off from their creator† 3. The story begins with a statement of theme. Always, because these poems are so long and so complex, although the basic stories would have been familiar to the audiences, the poet would begin with announcing what the recitation was to be about. That way, everyone could focus on and appreciate, not so much WHAT was being said, but the WAY THAT IT WAS PRESENTED. In essence, Milton’s Paradise Lost retells the story of Genesis but presents it as an epic poem. We are no stranger to that concept; we go to concerts where we may already know all of the song. So, we go to hear the presentation of the songs, which add to our concepts of the meaning and significance of those songs. 4. The story has many epithets. These epithets are re-naming of the characters, gods, or things by stock phrases. An example is the renaming of Satan as â€Å"th’ Arch-Enemy†, â€Å"th’ apostate angel†, â€Å"O Prince† or â€Å"O Chief of many throned Powers† and even â€Å"fall’n Cherub. † It is important for us to notice these epithets, first, because they add description, and second, because we get confused about who is doing what if we do not recognize the epithets as well as the names. 5. The story uses catalogues of things and characters; there are many lists, both long and short. Just as the Old Testament has catalogues of genealogies – you remember all those begets – just so do ancient epics keep track of the lists of history. In both Book One and Book Two of Paradise Lost, for example, there is a list of the principal angels who fell from grace as Satan’s compatriots. Also listed are their various names and places where they will be worshipped as gods of pagan faiths. 6. There are long formal speeches by many characters. You will not have any trouble spotting these. Sometimes they happen in the heat of battle and other seemingly inappropriate times, but more often they occur at various kinds of meetings, as in an assembly of chieftains. Book One of Paradise Lost is filled with such formal speeches, key among them Satan’s with his famous line â€Å"better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n. † 7. Gods intervene in the affairs of human beings in these stories. For example, in Book Seven of Paradise Lost, Cherubim, Ithuriel and Zephon, sent by God to Eden, find Satan, â€Å"squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve. † They confront him before more damage is done in terms of corrupting Eve. 8. Epics frequently have epic digressions. These are passages that do not further the action of the story because they are asides or because they are repetitions. Remember that these recitations did not have TV replay shots. The audience had to remember a vast amount of material, so redundancy or reminding them of background material would have been helpful to them. For example, In Book Seven of paradise Lost, Adam’s conversation with the angel Raphael becomes, in some instances, a recounting of Genesis and even digresses into the topic of angel’s mating habits. Yet another use for the digression is to provide a prologue of sorts, as an introduction seems overlooked due to the epic convention of beginning the poem in medias res. Also this aside more firmly orients the poem’s audience, given its vast setting, the cosmos. 9. The settings of these stories are vast. Paradise Lost is concerned with the mortal geocentric universe, from Hell to Chaos to the Earthly and Heavenly planes. The stories use the epic simile. An epic simile is a long comparison of two things that are in different classes. They make vivid an image and describes or clarifies. An example can be found in the extensive comparison of Satan, a fallen angel formerly the epitome of celestial light and beauty, to one of the Titans Briareos, whom led the revolt of the Titans against Zeus. Like Briareos, Satan is a vast creature covered in darkness. He is likened to Leviathan, a sea-beast, concealed in the ocean’s dark depths, or an illusory island hidden in the dark. But the great Leviathan, possibly the whale in Jonah’s unfortunate encounter, can rise from the imprisoning dark or return to it after becoming beached upon shore. Satan rose from the depths of Hell to enter Eden, though he could not of course remain. 10. The heroes embody the values of their civilization. In Milton’s time the medieval practice of physiognomy was still much employed. After Chaucer’s example in the Canterbury Tales, physical facade’s, particularly the face, are believed expressions of a person’s internal moral state. For example, much is made of Satan’s former beauty, an expression of the former purity of his ethical and moral internal being. His former beauty and grace, expressed in terms of light and luster become dim in his confrontation with Ithuriel and Zephon, Cherubim, formerly of a lesser angelic order than Satan, who still in the service of God retain that luminosity of his grace. Paradoxically, the description of Satan as a monstrous, leviathan-like figure is juxtaposed in the poem with his nearly angelic appearance. Fittingly, since Milton’s time, physiognomy has fallen out of usage, as many accept evil and malicious intent often has a comely facade.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Analysis of a Cityscape: Blade Runner

‘Analyse the design of a cityscape in one film or television episode. ’ Nightmare visions of futuristic societies, or dystopias, are a major theme of the sci-fi genre and most post-1970s Hollywood films portraying these worlds embody a ‘crisis in US ideology’ at that time. These sci-fi films usually illustrate issues regarding: ‘environmental pollution, over-population, violent crimes, bureaucratic administration and economic exploitation’. They also represent the unrepresentable, showing us things that we can only otherwise imagine.In this essay I will attempt to explore the labyrinthian landscape of Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi blockbuster Blade Runner, and consider the ways in which it mirrors the social, economic, and political context of the time in which it was made, as well as the socio-ecological consequences of contemporary problems such as war and pollution. I will also further explain how the film’s soundscape is essential to the meaning behind its narrative. The design of sci-fi frequently contains alien planets, foreign bodies, and space-age cityscapes, giving these spectacular fictional worlds an overall glossy, futuristic feel.Blade Runner is a scintillating world with a high-rise landscape, but closer examination reveals that structured within this milieu are metaphors of a dystopian society. Across the top of the skyscrapers are immense neon advertisements and television screens that project messages down for the people to see, showing that this is a world of complete industrialisation. These features provide primarily the main source of light throughout the city. The overall mise-en-scene is obscure and brooding, much like a late 40s and 50s film noir, and the contrast between light and dark here depicts repressed social fears of totalitarian control.The divide in society is evident when we look at the difference between the replicants and the humans. The replicants feel safer on the decayed s treets and adopt working-class lifestyles, for example, Leon works in a run-down hotel, while Zhora works as a stripper in Chinatown. Deckard, in contrast, lives high above the crowded streets, protected by high-tech security devices. Police crafts also hover above, beaming down their probing lights and surveilling the people below. The Cold War period consisted mostly of spying and tense international relations between the US and the Soviet Union.It is almost like Orson Welles’ Big Brother, where no one is free and everyone is constantly being watched by a ruling intellectual force. The theme of paranoia therefore comes into play here; the omnipresence of the police force is a visual motif of corporate power. The superstructures that we see dwarf the smaller, decrepit buildings and crumbling architecture; this binary opposition thus creates a high/low spatial allegory for the lower class- the workers who live below in the post-apocalyptic streets, depressed and dehumanized; and the elite- those who live in high-rise apartments above the rest of the city, benefiting from the labourers.Like in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), the difference between the elite and the masses is virtually dramatised by this spatial opposition and the concept of the upper class is literalised. The vertical architecture serves as metaphor for a hierarchy of evil power and is a symbol of economic inequality and corruption, intrinsic with a society that is out of kilter. Fears revolving around race, space, and social class are therefore structured within these thematic elements.Figure 1 (page 6) shows the pyramid of the capitalist system of the early 20th century. People of America believed that anyone could become wealthy and enjoy good lives by working hard – this was the American Dream. Sadly, capitalism reared its ugly head and citizens soon discovered that this economic system benefits only those at the top of that pyramid- ‘the winners gain at the expen se of the mass of losers’. It reflects the philosophy of Orthodox Marxism, where economic base determines cultural and political structure. Who then controls this vast city?As stated in Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, a culturally diverse society can be dominated by one social class, by manipulating the social culture (beliefs, perceptions, values) so that its ruling-class worldview is imposed as the societal norm, which is then perceived as a universally valid ideology beneficial to all of society, but in fact benefits only the ruling class. The biggest and most dominating of structures within this cityscape are in fact two pyramids, home to none other than Eldon Tyrell, head of the Tyrell Corporation.Pyramids are archetypal Egyptian symbols of power and immortality. Rising high up within this city, they denote a future of affluence and progress, and technological triumph. Tyrell’s office is laden with rich items, golden statues and intricately c arved pillars. Yet it is the cinematography techniques here that are key to representing this majestic interior. The warm, golden hues are a stark contrast to the rest of the city that we have been exposed to. The fact that Tyrell’s office is located so high up is an indication that people who live in the highest, most prestigious places are clearly elites.They are at the top of the hierarchical â€Å"pyramids† of economic or political structures- they are the ruling force of society. Since the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945, science fiction has portrayed dystopias to show the massively destructive capacity of certain scientific developments. These nightmare visions are society’s fears over these developments. Science fiction explores a darker side of science, articulating real fears about advances in areas such as nuclear power or genetic modification.More recently, the Cold War had reached its peak in the 1980s, and the corporate evil seen in Blade Runner echoes a ‘growing weariness of the cold war and anti-communist attitudes that had been festering since the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and later’. The tone of this period of history was incredibly pessimistic, with the continuous danger of nuclear war looming over the world. This cynicism about the future of mankind and of the planet is clearly seen in Blade Runner. ‘The information age was a time where computers and electronics replaced the heavy industry of the modernist period, and political control was applied through mass media.Information became a commodity, and films that portray these spectacles show them as developments that pose challenges to society. They also correspond to contemporary crises developing in the US throughout the 1980s, for example, use of the media to portray political messages’. Anxiety over scientific and technological advancements is central to most science fiction films and is a very apparent theme when examining the cityscape o f Blade Runner; from vast television screens, to vertical strata, to the Voight-Kampff machine.They serve as a warning to society over the compulsion to force science and technology to create what is hoped to be a utopia for all, but in fact ends up dominating everything and everyone to the point where people are no longer free. The final aspect of the design in Blade Runner regards the soundscape of the film. Produced by Greek composer Vangelis, the film’s score owes a lot to the meaning behind its narrative. The film’s genre is part cyber-punk, part film noir, and through orchestral instruments and unique electronic sounds, he creates a sense of eeriness or alienation.Most of the music heard is quite ambient, but rather static with no real drive or pinnacle. However, within this ambient structure is a diverse range of musical styles, for example, Jazz is heard frequently- an old-fashioned film noir effect, stereotypically associated with subjugated urban settings, bu t also more commonly linked to intimate moments, such as the growing love between Deckard and Rachael. However, it is also somewhat melancholic at times and works as a sign of doom, insinuating that things will not end well.A recurring musical symbol is the sound of bells; church bells connote religion, and this is often heard on the top floor of the pyramidal Tyrell building, implying that Tyrell is a powerful, god-like figure. In terms of the film overall, there are very few moments when there is complete silence; even when there is music missing from a scene, sound effects emanating from the environment are usually present, for instance, it constantly rains throughout the film, so rain is heard repeatedly, indicative of the depressed and forlorn atmosphere.The reputable vertical intensity of Los Angeles’ landscape depicts the power relations intrinsic within the cityscape of Blade Runner. It provides us with a picture of decay and abandonment associated with a dystopian wo rld. It is more nightmare than vision, more anxiety than hope, expressing social fears of racial, political, and economic crisis, as well as the perils of advanced technology, whether it be through genetic engineering or a Voight-Kampff invasion of humanity. In the end, it is the verticality of the cityscape which ultimately defines the purpose of Ridley Scott’s arbitrary dystopia. Bibliography Bullock, A. , and Trombley, S. (eds), The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (Third Edition), Harper Collins, Canada, 1999 Carper, S. , â€Å"Subverting the Disaffected City: Cityscape in Blade Runner† in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Judith B. Kerman (ed) Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1991 David Desser, ‘Race, Space, and Class: The Politics of Cityscapes’, in Alien Zone II, p. 82 Heldreth, L. G. and Kerman, J. B. (ed), â₠¬ËœThe Cutting Edges of Blade Runner’ in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K.Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Bowling Green University Popular Press, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1991 40-52 Kellner, D. , Leibowitz, F. , and Ryan, M. , ‘Blade Runner: A diagnostic critique’, in Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, no. 29, February 1984 King, G. , and Krzywinska, T. ,Science Fiction Cinema, London: Wallflower Press, 2000 Prince, S. ,Visions of Empire: Political Imagery in Contemporary American Film, Greenwood Publishing Group, New York, 1992 Sammon, Paul M. â€Å"The Making of Blade Runner. † Cinefantastique 12 (1982): 20-47 Stiller, A. and Kerman, J. B. ed) â€Å"The Music in Blade Runner† in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? University of Wisconsin Press, Wisconsin, 1997. Pages 196-200 Websites Kurt Bullock, Vertical Apocalypse: Altered Noir Cityscape within Blade Runner’s Dystopia: http://soma. sbcc. edu/users/DaVega/FILMST_101/FILMST_101_FILMS/Bladerunner/Vertical%20Apocalypse_Bullock. pdf Fig. 1 taken from http://www. aaronblake. co. uk/blog/2010/03/08/the-pyramid-of-the-capitalist-system/) ‘Paranoia and cynicism in Blade Runner’ in American Cinema: 1960-Present: http://amcinema1960present. ordpress. com/category/second-student-post/page/11/ (Fig. 1) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Douglas Kellner, Flo Leibowitz, and Michael Ryan, ‘Blade Runner: A diagnostic critique’ from Jump Cut, pp. 6-8 [ 2 ]. Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska, Science Fiction Cinema, p. 64 [ 3 ]. Ibid, p. 73 [ 4 ]. Sammon, Paul M. â€Å"The Making of Blade Runner†, Cinefantastique: 20-47 [ 5 ]. Kurt Bullock, Vertical Apocalypse: Altered Noir Cityscape within Blade Runner’s Dystopia, p. 1 [ 6 ]. ibid [ 7 ]. David Desser, ‘Race, Space, and Class: The Politics of Cityscapes’, in Alien Zone II, p. 82 [ 8 ].The Pyramid of the Capitalist System- http://www. aaronblake. co. uk/blog/2010/03/08/the-pyramid-of-the-capitalist-system [ 9 ]. Alan Bullock and Stephen Trombley (eds), The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought, pp. 387–88. [ 10 ]. Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska, Science Fiction Cinema, p. 17 [ 11 ]. ‘Paranoia and cynicism in Blade Runner’ in American Cinema: 1960-Present-http://amcinema1960present. wordpress. com/category/second-student-post/page/11/ [ 12 ]. Stephen Prince, Visions of Empire: Political Imagery in Contemporary American Film, p. 167 [ 13 ]. Leonard Heldreth, ‘The Cutting Edges of Blade Runner’, pp. 40-52